Curious how many opponauts are unionised and oppo’s opinions on unions. I’m unionised, a union officer, and an organiser for my union (disclaimer: not related to my work at GMG, and I do not speak for GMG’s union or unionised workers at GMG), and I am a strong supporter of unions worldwide.

You know what grinds my gears? I often see some unionised autoworkers complain about supposedly non-union made cars owned by members of other unions. Specifically teachers, which I am. However, I can assure you, if you buy a Japanese car built in Japan, even if it has been shipped to the States, you are buying a union car. My union is at Fuso, Mitsubishi’s truck and bus division, and you’d better believe if they strike, I am out on the picket line supporting my brothers and sisters in their workplace struggle.

If union autoworkers are complaining about U.S. built Japanese or Korean or German cars at plants they haven’t been able to unionise, then I think they need to focus on their ground game. They need to recruit at those plants and/or (preferably and) talk to their fellow unionised workers (the teachers, the civil service, the plumbers, the electricians, etc) instead of playing into management’s hands by insulting hard working members of labor trying to make their dollar go further.

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I’ll organise a union anywhere at anytime as long as there is solidarity, whether it is my industry or not. The wonderful thing about my union is that we are amalgamated, which is why we have educators AND autoworkers.